It is well known that automobile batteries are difficult to remove from their mounting location within an automobile. This is particularly so with small automobiles which usually have very little room to maneuver in the engine space when the battery is being removed. Difficulties in removing the battery are also experienced when the battery is mounted toward the rear of the engine space where the room to maneuver is reduced even further by the close proximity of the inclined hood. These difficulties are compounded by the significant weight of the battery and the absence of suitable points at which to secure a good manual grip. Thus, when manually removing the battery, it is usually necessary to rock the battery on its mount to enable one hand to be passed along the lower surface of the battery to obtain good grip followed by further rocking to allow the other hand to obtain a similar grip at the other end. Having obtained a suitable grip on the battery, difficulties are often experienced in actually removing the battery from the engine space since it is usually necessary to lean over the engine space, and injury to the hands and knuckles as well as damage to the body of the automobile can occur, as the battery is being removed. In addition to these inconveniences, when the battery being removed is of the "open" type, which requires periodic topping-up with water, there is the ever-present danger of acid spillage during movement of the battery. This danger is not present with those batteries which are of the "closed" type which do not require periodic addition of water, but the above-mentioned difficulties and inconveniences due to the weight of the battery and cramped working conditions are present nevertheless. Similar problems to those described above are equally present when it is desired to install a battery on its mount. In addition, there is difficulty of controlling the placement of the battery on its mount and, if adequate control is not maintained, the battery may fall into the engine space causing damage to the battery and engine components.
To overcome the above problems and disadvantages, many attempts have been made in the past to design battery handling tools for lifting, tilting or maneuvering the battery into and out of its operating position in the automobile. As is well known, most of these tools are designed for use with batteries having the terminal posts positioned on the top horizontal surface of the battery, whereby the tool grips the terminal posts, typically by the use of spring-loaded serrated jaws. Many disadvantages are associated with these pole gripping tools, the main disadvantages being that the terminals are usually damaged when the entire weight of the battery is suspended from the terminals. As a result, it is difficult to establish good electrical contact when the terminal leads are subsequently connected to the posts. In addition, there is the possibility, when the battery is suspended from the terminals, of a terminal post breaking from the battery which not only necessitates repairing the battery, but also possibly results in serious injury to the user. A further disadvantage associated with this type of handling tool is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to maintain good control over movement of the battery or to tilt it relative to the vertical when suspended from the terminal posts. This results in the increased possibility of damaging the battery and the body of the automobile when the battery is being removed or installed.
Another known type of tool for handling batteries, especially those batteries in which the terminals are provided in the sidewalls, is that which grips the vertical side walls of the battery. One example of such a tool is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,364 to Breite. The tool disclosed in this patent comprises two L-shaped levers, one of the levers having an elongate slot permitting adjustment of the tool to accommodate different sized batteries. While this tool operates quite well in practice, there are several noteable disadvantages associated therewith. The first disadvantage is that infinite adjustment of the separation between the gripping surfaces is not possible due to the presence of notches along the upper surface of the elongate slot. This means that if the dimensions of the battery are different from the preset positions of the notches, the battery gripping surfaces will not be parallel to each other when brought into gripping contact with the battery walls, and accordingly the entire gripping surface will not be utilized, thereby reducing the overall gripping power of the device. The second disadvantage associated with this tool is that secure gripping of the battery cannot be achieved as only one of the gripping shoes is provided with an individual handle. The other gripping shoe is fixed parallel to the side of the battery and is not provided with an individual handle. Thus, the gripping force of this shoe is dependent on the inward force created by inward movement of the other shoe as the handle is operated. Accordingly, the overall gripping force of this tool is not very high and this results in an increased chance of the battery slipping while being carried in this tool. A third disadvantage of this tool is that it is somewhat complicated in structure requiring a spring, a special adjustment means along the elongate slot and careful positions of the notches to conform with the dimensions of commercially available batteries.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,181 to Money discloses a lifting tool for batteries similar to that in the patent to Breite. The tool described in Money suffers from essentially the same disadvantages discussed above in respect of the Breite tool. The Money tool is provided with only a single handle, and the entire gripping action of the tool is dependent on the combined effect of the movement of the handle away from the tool and spring urging the battery gripping means into gripping contact with the battery. An additional disadvantage associated with the Money tool is that the battery is gripped by elongate hooks and not gripping shoes. Thus, the gripping action of the tool is provided solely by the edge of the hooks. This results in an increased possibility of the battery slipping from the tool and there is also the possibility of piercing or other damage to the battery caused by the inward pressure of the pointed gripping hooks.
A modern trend in the manufacture of batteries is to fabricate the battery casing from a tough plastic material such as polypropylene. While many advantages are associated with the use of polypropylene instead of metals, principally decreased costs, some weight reduction and fewer corrosion problems, one noteable disadvantage associated with the use of plastic materials such as polypropylene is the low coefficient of friction thereof and the consequent difficulty of securely gripping the walls of the battery. Accordingly, it is important for a battery lifting tool to be able to exert the required gripping force so that the chances of the battery slipping out of the tool are reduced to a minimum. The above-described devices in the patents to Breite and Money have been found to be unsatisfactory in this regard, and their commercial attractiveness has decreased significantly with the increased use of batteries having cases formed from polypropylene and similar plastic materials.
It can be appreciated that a need exists for a battery handling tool which is simple to manufacture, easy to use and readily controllable when the battery is being moved, and which exerts maximum gripping force against the walls of the battery casing so that the user has no fear of the battery slipping from the tool once gripped thereby.